Embarrassed to sledge Sachin Tendulkar, never did it again after his question, recalls Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq has revisited the time when he was left embarrassed by Sachin Tendulkar when the latter questioned him why was he sledging despite him never misbehaving with him. Mushtaq has further added that he apologised to the former Indian player and never even dared to sledge him again.
A few days ago, Saqlain Mushtaq recalled a tale of how Anil Kumble, whom he referred as an elder brother, helped him get a good eye doctor in London and how during that time, Indian and Pakistani players share a good bond with each other. As Sachin Tendulkar celebrated his 47th Birthday on Friday, the legendary Pakistani spinner further narrated an incident from the Sahara Cup in Canada, when he was left speechless when the Indian asked him why was he sledging him.
"I was new when I sledged him for the first time. If I recall correctly, it was the 1997 edition. Sachin quietly came up to me and said 'I never misbehaved with you, why are you misbehaving with me'? I got so embarrassed that I did not know what to say to him. He said to me 'I rate you high as a person and player'. I was so embarrassed that I never sledged him again," Saqlain told PTI.
"I can't tell you what I said to him but I apologised to him after the game. Thereafter, even when he was smashing me all over, I never thought of sledging him," recalled the 43-year-old.
One of the most memorable battles between the duo came during the Chennai Test of 1999 when Pakistan secured a 12-run win despite 136 runs from Tendulkar. The Pakistani team were given a standing ovation by the Chennai crowd, one of the finest crowd gesture on a field of cricket. Mushtaq stated that god was on his side during that Test and he managed to get rid of the Master Blaster.
"In that 1999 Test, no words were exchanged. We both were determined and focused to win the game for our countries. We put our heart and soul in it (on day four). I consider myself lucky that my name was attached to Sachin's cricketing career with that match. The only difference that day was that God was on my side. Otherwise, the way he was playing, it was unbelievable. The ball was reversing but he played Wasim Akram with such confidence.
"I dismissed him multiple times but he also took me to the cleaners. Even on that day four in Chennai, he scored a hundred in a difficult situation. It was like a dangal going on between us. The eye is god gifted. Every batsman sees things differently, some pick faster than others. Sachin's eye was razor-sharp. Many times, even before I took my stride, he knew what I was going to ball, whether it was a Doosra, top-spin or conventional off-spin, his foot positioning was just flawless. Rahul (Dravid) too was very good, Azhar paaji also," Mushtaq recalled.
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